NFL Player News

Kroft hauled in his only target for 16 yards during Sunday's 31-21 loss to the Panthers.

It was another quiet outing for Kroft, who was on the field for just 32 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Meanwhile, fellow tight ends Tyler Eifert and C.J. Uzomah both played over 50 percent of the snaps and were more involved in the passing game. Through three games, Kroft has four receptions for 36 yards and no touchdowns.

Vannett hauled in four passes on five targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 24-13 win over the Cowboys.

Vannett tied with Tyler Lockett for the most receptions on the team Sunday. More importantly, Vannett logged 35 offensive snaps while rookie Will Dissly accrued 39 while catching just one pass for four yards. That means the gap between the two tight ends may not be as big as it seemed, and fantasy owners may have trouble determining which one will be targeted more in a given week.

Coach John Harbaugh said Hurst (foot) could return to practice this week.

Now a full month removed from surgery to address a stress fracture in his foot, Hurst is unlikely to be available Week 4 against the Steelers, even if he resumes practicing within the next few days. A more reasonable target date would be Week 5, at which point he'd take his place in a timeshare with Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams and fellow rookie Mark Andrews. Though he seemingly has the highest ceiling of the bunch, Hurst doesn't project for an every-down role as a rookie, and he'd be lucky to draw more than three or four targets per game.

Allen logged 17 out of a possible 48 snaps on offense in Sunday's loss to the Lions.

Allen saw all his snaps when the Patriots ran two-tight end sets and was not targeted in the game. The 28-year-old is still looking for his first catch of the 2018 season and therefore off the fantasy radar.

Swaim caught five of seven passes for 47 yards in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks.

It was the best game of the tight end's career so far, as his previous high in yards in a game was only 29, set back in 2016. Dak Prescott has shown little willingness to stretch the field this season, which could keep Swaim's targets fairly high as long as he remains in a starting role, but as yet the 25-year-old hasn't shown that he can do much with the volume.

Engram (knee) is considered week-to-week after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Engram was removed from Sunday's 27-22 win over Houston in the second quarter, finishing with one catch for 19 yards on just 13 snaps. The results from his MRI suggest he'll likely miss at least one game due to the right knee injury, leaving Rhett Ellison as the Giants' top option at tight end. With Ellison unlikely to match Engram's usual target volume, the team should have an easier time keeping Sterling Shepard involved. Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports that Engram could be facing a timetable of 4-to-6 weeks if the Giants opt for a conservative approach.

Akins caught his lone target for 18 yards in a Week 3 loss to the Giants.

Akins has caught all five targets this season, but trails the position group with 50 yards through three games. His 18-yard catch Sunday was his longest of the season.

Higbee caught two passes for 35 yards during Sunday's 35-23 win over the Chargers.

While the stat line hardly jumps off the page, Higbee once again out-snapped second-year tight end Gerald Everett (77 offensive snaps to 21), and the depth-chart positioning appears locked in for the time being. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of work in the passing game for either tight end. The Rams are averaging 34.0 points per game and leading the NFL in offensive yards with two teams still to play Week 3, so major shakeups are unlikely. Until proven otherwise, it's difficult to turn to Higbee with confidence in any fantasy format.

Graham snared five of seven targets for 45 yards in the Packers' 31-17 loss to the Redskins on Sunday.

Graham was third on the team in receptions and targets, tying Ty Montgomery in the latter category. The veteran tight end has proven to be a reasonably good fit within the Packers offense thus far, parlaying 19 looks into 13 receptions for 148 yards (11.4 YPC). Graham has yet to find the end zone, but given Aaron Rodgers' history with tight-end usage in the red zone and Graham's own nose for the goal line, some touchdowns should be forthcoming. He'll look to break through in a favorable matchup against the Bills in Week 4.

Kittle corralled five of seven passes for 79 yards Sunday. He also caught a two-point conversion in a loss to the Chiefs.

Kittle's targets, receptions and yards led all San Francisco receiving options. The 24-year-old also had a fourth-quarter touchdown called back on an offensive pass interference penalty on Kyle Juszczyk, whose pick allowed Kittle to break free. The 49ers' pass offense is likely to slow down if Jimmy Garoppolo (knee) is indeed done for the season, but Kittle may see the smallest downgrade due to his experience with backup quarterback C.J. Beathard, both from last season (the two started five games together) and when they were teammates in college at Iowa.